londez

Alright. My dad thought that was it but wasn't 100% sure (like I said, the Haynes shop manual for this bike SUCKS). Thanks a ton for the confirmation. Now, does anybody know if I can use the TCI unit for an xs650? Those are the only ones I can find anywhere.

My 81 xs400s won't start. I've been working on it with my dad and he seems to think that the likely problem is in the ignition system. The spark seems to be too weak and wants to check out the TCI unit. The problem is that the Haynes shop manual that we are using for this bike is sucks and we can't figure out where exactly the TCI unit is so we can check it. I've tried googling this info in a million differents words and I can't come up with anything I was wondering if anybody could provide any pictures or diagrams to help us find it and where we would get a new one if this is indeed the problem.

My 1981 Yamaha XS400 needs a number of repairs and adjustments to things like intake/exhause valves and spark plug gaps. I have no technical knowledge about engines and bought the bike as a learning project. I have a haynes manual that explains all of the repairs/adjustments that need to be made, but I can't make sense of any of it because I lack any knowledge of what and where the basic parts and components are. I was looking at the Haynes "Motorcycle Basics Techbook," but I'm not sure if the information inside would apply to a bike as old as mine... any suggestions?

Last autumn, my 1981 xs400s stopped running after I changed oil. A week after we changed the oil, my dad drained it again and the new oil was pitch black after only one week. The spark plugs and wires are fine, carborators were thoroughly cleaned, so my dad says that changing the oil likely washed built up dirt off the valves and now they need to be re-adjusted. I lost the haynes manual that I had for this bike and similar models, but it wasn't very good anyways. If I could find the official manual online, would it tell me how to re-adjust the valves? I am a total novice when it comes working with engines and machines; the whole reason why I bought an old bike was to have an incentive and something to learn on.

The left spark plug cable on my 81 xs400s is bad and I need a new one. My dad said he's never seen plugs that are threaded on the ends like on my bike, so he said I may have to order them online. I'm headed out in a few hours and I was wondering if I could expect to find plug cables that would fit my bike at a chain auto parts store like Pep-boys or auto zone?

Wait a second, the manual lists an XS400SH Heritage 1980-81. I'm confused. So is it the right manual?

Crap! I guess we got wrong the manual then. The one we have said to use SAE 20w 50 and we did. Is this going to be a big problem? PS: Sorry I haven't responded in so long, I've been occupied with fixing other things. I think there might be a gremlin hangin out in my house.

Ha ha, very funny :-). 4R4-013489. Does that sound like number we are looking for?

Where do I look to find the frame number?

Last July I bought a bike from a guy off of craig's list. He said it was an 81, and the side panel read "400 special." Did a search on the internet and concluded that the model I had was an xs400 special. My dad went online and got me a shop manual for it (we're gonna have to fix the electric start at some point). The manual that he got me is a Haynes "YAMAHA xs250, 360, & 400 sohc Twins: 248cc~358cc~391cc. 1975 to 1984." The only 1981 391cc bike covered in the manual that also has "special" in the title is the "xs400 H Special II" so I assumed that that was the one I had. The bike on the cover looks like mine, but in the section on changing oil it says that you are supposed to use the dipstick on the filler cap. My bike does not have a dipstick on the filler, but instead uses a sight glass on the side of the engine for checking oil levels. Is my bike a different xs400 special than the one covered in the shop manual, or is this just something overlooked in the manual or some kind of customization done by one of the previous owners? I just assumed it wasn't important. I'm just a little worried cause I changed the oil with my pops yesterday and now my bike won't start. The book said that my bike used SAE 20w/50, so that's what we used. I first noticed the issue last night; it was forty degrees out but it always starts in this kind of whether on the first kick as long as I pull the choke out all the way. I tried it again about 30 min ago (it's 54 out) and no go. Honestly I think it's just an issue with the battery (had this prob a few weeks back, just charged the battery, althought the headlamp isn't as dim this time), but I wanted to make sure that I had the right manual and put the right oil in my bike.

I need to check the battery on my bike but I can't figure out how to remove the seat. I have a haynes shop manual that says that the seat is attached to the left side of the frame by two clevis pins with split pins, but that's all it says. It doesn't even have any pictures. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks for all the help guys! I'm gonna check it out on sunday after I get back from brooklyn (and no I will not be riding my bike there, ha ha). An the tires are mags.

It's my first bike and I got it for 900 bucks with only 11,265 miles on it. The guy I bought it from said that the back tire had a slow leak and my dad rode it about five miles back to our house with no problems. I wanted to get an idea of how bad the leak was so I filled the tires up to the pressure indicated in the Haynes shop manual (26 in the front and 28 in back). A little over one week later I checked the pressure and the front was down to 19 and the back was down to 23. I wasn't planning on having to replace both tires and I was wondering if somebody could give me an idea of how much the tires are and about how much it will cost to get them put on and balanced.